


The Spotlight Shines Upon You

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Bar Room Brawl, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-25 23:37:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1666661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a guy who's started to frequent Rin's bar, but has a tendency to attract a lot of unwanted attraction.</p><p>Rin's just being a good person by helping him, honestly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Spotlight Shines Upon You

**Author's Note:**

> So if you follow me on tumblr, I posted [this fic](http://attemptsonwords.tumblr.com/post/84550527802/ficlet-savior-makorin-au) earlier this month, mentioning in the tags that I wanted to write a longer version. 
> 
> yeahhhhhhhhh 
> 
>  
> 
> [generic title insp.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmyq9tIiu8g)

He’s too far away from the bar to make out what the one-sided conversation is, but Rin can tell from his position in the booth that things really aren’t going well. Both men are leaning their sides against the countertop, but while the one on the left keeps pressing himself into the one on the right, all open arms, the other, despite his tall stature, seems to be shrinking into himself. He does this despite the small smile on his face, but even from how far back Rin is, he knows that it’s fake, aided by the quick-moving eyes, like they’re trying to find a quick escape.

Yet for some reason, the spectacled one on the left seems to not catch this at all, probably using the tall man’s smile as a sign to continue hitting on him.

Rin rolls his eyes and chugs his beer, his sour words mixing among the fizz and sharp hit of the alcohol that remains on his tongue after he swallows. The squeaky burgundy velour seats at Predators are great to sink into, and Rin does so, scowling the entire way down.

“Ugh, what a dick.”

“What?” Seijuurou’s voice tilts up in defense, yanking Rin from the scene and placing him back to his group staring at him. “You’ve been out of it for like ten minutes so I totally thought it was okay to have the last onion rin --” He drops his mouth in an “O.” “--you weren’t talking about me, weren’t you.”

Rin’s eyebrow doesn’t fall while Sosuke chuckles next to him and he flatly responds, “No.” 

Seijuurou shrugs, unperturbed. “I mean, it’s the only thing you refer to me as, so I just assumed...wait, so who _are_ you talking about?”

Rin moves his chin up ever-so-lightly to the scene several feet in front of them. The two men are still leaning the sides of their bodies against the countertop, but while the one on the left is relaxed and quite animated, the other has a forced grin on his face, clutching his fingers tightly over his arms with one hand and scratching his temple with the other.

Five pairs of eyes glean over to the one on the left, taking in his blazer, green-rimmed glasses, and overgelled hair, with spikes that could cleanly break off if Rin threw his bottle at it (which he’s sorely tempted to). 

“Oh god, he looks like such a douche.” Nitori agrees.

“Yeah, definitely not your type.” Seijuurou adds.

“Who said anything about looking for my type?”

“I dunno, the tacky style on his shirt is similar to Rin’s taste.” Sosuke passively comments while sipping his drink, his focus unwavering from the man the entire time. He can only be thankful that Rin didn’t physically harm him, instead, trying to burn a hole in his own stupid shirt with his squinted-eyed-glare.

Everyone’s view shifts to the taller one on the right, and seeing that four out of five boothmates aren’t being subtle in the absolute slightest with their staring, Rin slams his hand against the table to bring their attention back to him.

“Oh my god, what the fuck, be less obvious, _what are you doing_.”

“Oh, _he_ looks like your type.” Kou laughs, ignoring Rin’s outburst and continuing to stare at the scene at the bar.

Rin pointedly ignores the heat that’s now flaming his face. “What? No, no, definitely not, tall, wide shoulders, and brunet isn’t my type.”

“I think if our fling was any indicator, that is definitely your type.”

“You just described Sosuke basically.” Nitori nods.

“You know what? Who cares, someone needs to help the guy.” Rin internally yells that his body to stop freaking out - if he turns any redder, he’d have enough heat to challenge the sun - and pushes his way out of the booth. In the few seconds that it takes from booth to bar, Rin’s face returns to normal, he relaxes his body, and he puts on a signature menacing smile that’s patented to cause swooning.

“Hey,” Rin extends the word like he’s tossing a lifeline. “Babe, is everything okay? I leave you for a few minutes and already you’re trying to make new friends.” He claps a hand on a (really beautifully shaped) shoulder and presses in.

The man’s eyes (green, so green, the kind that complements the gold ring the pupils from the cheap bar lights) squints in an unrecognizable expression. In the few seconds that he takes Rin in, peering from his few inches above him, the redhead can’t help but let his stomach flop around and his heartbeat to perform a drumline’s opening cadence. Up close, Rin can see the freckles dusting his nose, barely-there on his tanned skin. His navy-long-sleeved-rolled-up-to-his-elbows sweater is only three steps above being painted on, and it fits him rather (no, really) nicely, a fine example of teasing the obvious muscle underneath. What really causes the ache in Rin’s chest, the sharp stab of pure attraction however, is how, when Green Eyes relaxes, his eyes bore down at Rin like the redhead has shaped the moon out of molten opal in his aged calloused hands and dedicated it to him. Rin doesn’t know if that’s the way he looks at everyone or if it’s because he’s grateful that there’s a new distraction, but he needs to be looked in the same way more often. 

Okay, so maybe Green Eyes is his type, whatever. He doesn’t know how he _wouldn’t_ be anyone’s type in all honesty. He’s an Adonis, Greek god, sculpted from bronze and -

“That’s fine. I was being kept company by…” Green Eyes smiles (the sweetest smile) and looks at Four Eyes, eyebrows raised and eyes widening as if to give him the cue that it’s Glasses’ turn to talk.

Instead of finishing the sentence however, Four Eyes bluntly asks, “You have a boyfriend?”

“Hell yeah he does.” Rin wraps his arm around Green Eyes’ waist and thanks god that the man reciprocates and tightens his hold. “Do you think I’d let this one roam free? Please.” Rin takes pride in his daring soul, takes no shame in the choices he makes, and exhibits this now when he lets his free hand lightly wander down and brushes down the side of Green Eyes’ upper thigh. Green Eyes jumps, but makes no move to push Rin away, instead, leans closer to him, so frankly, Rin’s pretty content with how things are going. Way to go, Rin’s daring soul.

Four Eyes seems to have caught on Green Eyes’ initial uncomfortable jerk though, and begins to narrow his eyes in disbelief, not quite sure whether or not if he wants to keep his mouth open to argue. When he decides that the latter is a better option, he relaxes, as if questioning the legitimacy of their relationship wasn’t worth it. “Well you’re a lucky man. Look, I’ll let you two be, no hard feelings?” 

“Not at all. It was nice meeting you!” Green Eyes waves, and Rin initially takes it as a mocking jab, but begins to doubt himself, because Green Eyes really does sound authentic and kind in his reply.

“Hey, thanks for that.” Green Eyes turns to Rin when the man goes off to pursuit his next target or whatever.

Rin shrugs as he loosens their grip on each other. “Not a problem. It’s no fun getting creeped on, and it looked like you needed a knight in shining armor.”

Green Eyes laughs, “Yeah, I could tell that you were one by how shiny your outfit is.”

“Hey! No insulting the armor!” Rin places his hands at his waist, showing off his slightly (slightly, okay?) metallic maroon tank, the kind that glitters with pinpricks of silver when the light hits just right (or all the time). Besides, paired with skinny black jeans with its own silver decals on the pockets and a loose cardigan, it’s not that bad. 

The chains on his wrists may be too much, but Rin dismisses that horrid notion immediately.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Green Eyes waves his hands, but his mirthful gleam still remains. “I didn’t know that modern day knights had that as a uniform.”

Rin lets his smile widen, all teeth and sharp. He claps Green Eyes on the back before turning away, saying with one last poke to the chest, “Fucking right we do. Here, don’t get yourself into anymore trouble, yeah?”

The conversation ends with Green Eyes’ nod and Rin heading back to his booth.

Seijuurou, Kou, Sosuke, and Nitori give a mocking round of applause when Rin returns, but it’s Seijuurou’s whistle that causes Rin to cringe and slap his brother-in-law upside the head.

Kou leans over and presses her hand over Rin’s before he downs the rest of his now lukewarm drink. “That was a nice thing you did, onii-san.” Without missing a beat, she adds, “And he’s cute, so I approve.” 

“Approve of what? It’s not like I’m gonna see him again. I was just trying to do a good thing.”

~

Rin sees Green Eyes again at the bar later that month.

This time he doesn’t pay him much attention; from a glance the guy looks content and preoccupied with his drink alone, and Rin’s too busy ranting about problems at work to Sosuke, while Seijuurou is keeping himself occupied messaging Kou about the party she’s attending with Nitori.

When Rin’s about to crush the lime wedge in his fingers from his frustration at his idiot boss, Sosuke jabs him in the ribs.

“That cute guy’s getting hit on again. You should go help him. Again.”

“I’m sure he’s doing fine on his own.” Rin rolls his eyes before looking up and quickly realizes that, no, Green Eyes isn’t. The perpetrator this time is easily taking advantage of Green Eyes’ kindness a lot more than Four Eyes did from what Rin can see. He’s also way more touchy-feely, brushing the back of his hand up and down Green Eyes’ forearm, leaning further in so their knees touch when he turns a few inches that way in his barstool.

Rin gets up, flattens his wine-colored dress shirt where it’s half-tucked-in in that “slightly disheveled just left work” sort of way. “Hold on.”

“Have fun! Don’t cause too much trouble!” Seijuurou hollers.

“Shut up!” Rin barks, but crimsons when two heads - one familiar and one not - turn to face him.

Oops.

“Oh!” Green Eyes grabs a quasi-dazed Rin’s arm and tugs him towards the counter. When they’re close enough, he whispers to Rin, “Thank god you’re here,” and that’s more than enough help to remind Rin about the reason he came here in the first place.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Rin shifts his external modes from shock to flirty and nuzzles his way into Green Eyes’ neck. “Babe, what did I tell you about talking to strangers when I run into friends? Can’t have someone else taking you away.”

“Oh no, I’d never do that to you, you’re too good for me.” Green Eyes presses his lips against Rin’s forehead so lightly that it barely counts as a touch, much less an invasion of privacy, and runs his fingers through his hair.

What’s His Name is perplexed to say the least, judging from his wide eyes and slacked jaw. “Wow...you guys really like each other, don’t you?”

Rin feathers a kiss on Green Eyes’ collarbone - hey, Green Eyes did it first! - and pretends to be so dazed that he’s barely registered the words spoken to them. “Sorry, what was that?”

What’s His Name shakes his head, speechless, but stares at them with authentic jealousy at such a loving relationship as he heads back to his own group of friends seated near the back. It’s a pity, really, that Rin almost wants to tell him that he’s envious of a fake relationship created by two strangers so one could help the other when creeps like What’s His Name attacks.

Rin gets over said guilt in .3 seconds and turns back to Green Eyes in a grin. “So…”

“It’s past our bedtime! Time to go home.” Rin yelps when Sosuke and Seijuurou each grab one of his arms and drag him away, while Green Eyes blinks in shock.

The way he then closes his eyes, cocks his head to the side, and laughs should _not_ be that cute on a twentysomething damnit, but Rin’s fine with it being the last thing he sees before the door shuts in front of him.

~

Rin concludes that Green Eyes shouldn’t be let out on his own. It’s his third time seeing him at the bar a month later, and the third time he’s getting hit on by some dude. Maybe he has an irresistible magic dick, who knows.

(Rin’s proud of himself for resisting the magical dick’s charms, but to say that would be a lie. He’s proud that he hasn’t been a douche about his attraction to Green Eyes like a select few other people he finds himself rescuing him from.)

This time Rin is alone, exhausted after a day of work, so he’s slumped over the bar end swirling around the chunks of ice in his third drink, taking pleasure in the way they occasionally collide with the crystal and producing a sharp ding. 

It’s not like he’s keeping a keen eye or anything, but then there's that familiar voice that has him staring at the other end of the counter.

“I...I have a boyfriend.”

“Really? Trouble in paradise? There has to be a reason why you’re at a bar alone.” The man in a velvet vest of all things brushes his fingers over Green Eyes' shoulders, dusting them off as if he wants a clean space to rest his own head.

Rin wants to rush over, but that’d be too obvious. To go over right after Green Eyes said he had a boyfriend, no, the Velveteen Rabbit would put two and two immediately.

He clenches his drink, watches the scene unfold before him. This guy is especially touchy feely, similar to Rin himself when he’s had a bit too much to drink, and it’d look like it’d be in good fun if it wasn’t the way he looks at Green Eyes like a predator seducing his prey.

Green Eyes' eyes anxiously wanders around the room, Rin trying his best to somehow telepathically tell him to _look here, look at me_.

Finally, like a magnet to iron, they lock eyes, and Rin has to fight an iced dagger to his chest as Green Eyes bores into him in recognition and desperation. It’s lasered and focused and direct.

Rin’s melted brain manages to have him nod while Green Eyes returns to the Velveteen Rabbit in false amusement, trying his best not to stumble over to the pair while he recomposes himself.

“Hey, sorry I’m late, traffic was a mess.”

“Who are you?” The Velveteen Rabbit quizzically stares. “Don’t tell me you’re supposed to be a distraction.”

“I’m his boyfriend.” Rin nods, and Makoto grabs his bicep in support (for either himself or Rin, Rin’s not quite sure).

There’s a scoff. “Okay, sure.”

Fuck, did he not wait for long enough?

Rin snaps, “Do you need proof? We could go at it on the counter if you need a receipt.”

“Please, I just met him and I know that I want to do that with him too. Sorta the whole point of this exchange.”

“I’m right here!” Makoto interjects, but that doesn’t stop his hold on Rin.

“Sorry babe. You just know how I can’t keep seeing this happen to you.” Rin smiles so sweetly that someone around them better get a spike in blood sugar.

“Okay, not buying it.”

“Dude, what the hell? Can’t you let us be alone?” Rin barks, but calms under Green Eyes’ thumb spinning cool concise circles over his wrist. He uses his other hand to pull Rin’s face towards his and presses a light kiss to his lips.

“If he doesn’t believe it, well, it’s hard to sway the opinions of someone even if the evidence is right there.” Makoto whispers, but keeps loud enough so Velveteen Rabbit can hear.

“Uh…” Rin so coherently and intelligently replies.

“Your ‘boyfriend’ looks like he’s never kissed you before.” Velveteen Rabbit nods.

“Or it may be because PDA is a bit much for him.”

“Okay, fine. sure. You know what, I got the message anyway, I guess I won’t see you later.” 

“You know, I could get used to this.” Rin settles back against the counter once he remembers how to speak, hoping his face looks cooler than how it feels when Velveteen Rabbit is finally gone.

“Hm. It’s nice having wanted company for once.” 

Green Eyes looks like he wants to say more, but his phone goes off in some 8-bit video game tune and answers before the first bar ends. “Hello?”

Rin watches with mild interest as Green Eyes goes into “Nagisa...he, wait, _what_? Rei, you know that...why is Haru encouraging it? Do you guys remember what happened last time?”

Green Eyes takes a deep breath and pinches his eyes, shaking his head before looking back up at Rin. “Sorry!” He grabs his coat, brushes down his pants and heads to the door in a semi-panic. “I have to go, but I guess I’ll run into you later - well, hopefully not like our usual way!”

~

“You guys are being fucking ridiculous. Can we go to the movies now?” Rin tries to get up from the couch but Sosuke pushes him back on next to him. On Rin’s other side, Nitori is giggling at yet another one of Rin’s failed escapes from the interrogation happening before him.

Kou comes out of Rin’s room shuffling through a pile of receipts as she joins her husband in front of the couch, leafing through the flimsy sheets of paper. “Half of these are from Predators onii-san. Unless you have a secret alcohol addiction, I’m pretty sure you have another specific reason as to why you’re suddenly going there all the time. Isn’t it usually one of us who ends up dragging you because ‘the atmosphere isn’t to your liking?’” She rolls her eyes as she ends her air quotes.

“ _You don’t even live here_.” Rin hisses, avoiding the topic. “Why are you going through my things?”

“As the younger sister, I think I have every right to go through your stuff and cause you mass amounts of stress. I’m just trying to fulfill my duty.” 

“You were never this much of a little shit. What happened to my sweet sister?” Rin shoots a glare at his brother-in-law.

“That’s implying that she was not a little shit before. I’ve known you guys forever, Rin, you know that’s a lie.” Sosuke continues, “Remember how she got us to stop calling her ‘Gou?’”

Kou smirks before returning to her brother. 

“Fine. You want me to tell you?”

Four heads peer in way too close for Rin’s liking. Rin solves this by jumping right onto the couch, feet digging in old upholstery, and leaps over the back of the couch.

“Maybe I like getting away from people who don’t understand the term personal space.” Rin grabs his wallet from the counter, fixes the beanie on his head, and leaves the house, knowing everyone else would have no choice but to follow.

Like fucking hell is he going to admit that maybe the drinks are cheap and there’s the chance he’ll need to save Green Eyes again. Or not. Maybe a casual run-in would be nice too.

~

“You guys have been married for how long now? God, don’t ask me what Kou wants for her birthday…what the _fuck_ , in what bizarre world do you live in that suggesting that to her older brother is a good idea?”

Rin rolls his eyes and refuses to listen to whatever excuse Seijuurou comes up with. Most of the noise that comes from the other end sounds like a long fart anyway.

Rin _does goes_ in “oh shit” mode with Seijuurous’s next few words however. “Is that...rock music? And you’ve been slurring...Rin, are you at Predators-”

“No?”

“- again?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Seijuurou goes into some rant about who fucking cares, but his usual drone is reduced even further into white noise when Rin focuses at the bar - how did he not notice Green Eyes this time? This scene seems to be the worst yet so far.

He watches them for a few more minutes (and continues to ignore Seijuurou’s rant) to guarantee that it’s still pretty bad - it is - and decides to take proper measures.

"Hey, Seijuurou? I’ll call you back." 

“Rin, I swear to go -” Rin downs his drink, making a show as he hangs up his phone in one hand and swings his empty glass in another while he waltzes over to the pair at the bar. "Hey babe, sorry about the phone call taking too long. I swear, sisters, right?" He taps on the counter and then the edge of his glass to indicate to the bartender that he wants a refill.

Rin winks in jest, knowing that Green Eyes will get the hidden meaning while Rin snakes an arm around his shoulder, causing a raised eyebrow from the blonde in front of them. The fourth time that this happens clearly must make it a routine at this point.

Green Eyes grins with not so much a hint, but an anvil-sized sign of relief. “It’s fine! Didn’t you hear me on the phone with Ran earlier? You know she can talk for hours, bless her.”

Does he actually have a sister named Ran or is he that good of an actor? Rin takes in his gentle eyes, the dimple pressing into his cheek, and finds himself wishing, needing to know if Green Eyes has a sister too. What about the rest of his family? Are they all as attractive as him? What would they think of Rin? He hopes this fictional family likes him.

Instead of pondering these questions where the back of his mind is going what the fuck, he nods and leans closer into Green Eyes, and with a consenting nod, half sits in his lap. The arm still slinked over Green Eyes’ (broad, godly) shoulders tightens in support, and Rin quickly notices that Green Eyes’ hand reaches up and laces their fingers right where his shoulder bleeds into his chest. 

"What? You have a boyfriend? Why didn’t you tell me?" The grouchy, tall blond who had been talking Green Eyes’ ear off up until fifteen seconds ago asks. The haughty, douchey smile he wore when trying to court Green Eyes has transformed into a sneer, his eyes cold and it’s all rather ugly. Makes sense that his true colors show when he doesn’t - has been failing at trying to - get what he wants.

Rin expects Green Eyes to snap that maybe he would’ve mentioned it if he could actually get a word in if the guy would’ve shut the fuck up for once, but he pouts instead. “I would, but it looked like you had so much to say! I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

No, he can’t have put it so nicely as that, what the fuck kind of angel carefully placed an infant Green Eyes on a gold-lined shaped cloud and sent him to Earth where people like Blondie exist.

"Aw, babe, has this guy been bothering you? Do you want me to take care of him?" Rin glares at Blondie.

"Hey, I know what I like, and let’s face it, your boyfriend here is very likable."

Green Eyes laughs, and Rin can’t tell if it’s because he’s flattered or just wants Blondie to be satisfied and to get lost (and it does not make Rin jealous), but he really wants this asshole to get the fuck out. 

"C’mon, I know you can do better man, why don’t we go?" Blondie extends an arm.

Green Eyes crosses his own arms and leans back against the bar, so Rin not only swipes at Blondie’s disgustingly-muscled arm with his free hand, but presses his lips to Green Eyes’ jaw, giving the most innocent of kisses to comfort him, and to create an additional warning to Blondie to leave.

He can feel Green Eyes shudder and relax when Rin’s long eyelashes tickle his cheek. In response, when Green Eyes pulls ever-so-slightly back, he turns his head instead so the two are just facing each other, centimeters apart.

"Can I?" Green Eyes mouths against Rin’s lips.

Rin replies with a short, curt nod before closing the gap.

Their kiss is innocent at first. Rin’s not sure if it’s the alcohol running through both of their veins or whether Green Eyes is just really desperate for Blondie to back off, but he quickly tightens his squeeze on Green Eyes’ hand, pressing his body, his mouth, his tongue, further in. He breathes out the tiniest whimper when he feels a thumb brush against his lower rib as his already short shirt rides up.

Green Eyes tastes like something sharp, but there’s just the faintest remains of some sort of fruit in the back. Rin’s not a fan of sugar, but he wants to pull it out, feel it wash over his tongue, and he thinks he can do with a little more sweets in his diet.

He can hear a remark of “Ugh, whatever.” and the fading sound of footsteps, but it’s muffled and distant and honestly Rin could not care less right now.

Green Eyes pulls away first - rather reluctantly - and it takes everything in Rin to bite down his smile when he sees Green Eyes’ lashes flutter and his lips still slightly apart.

Rin notices writing on a napkin next to Green Eyes’ near-empty drink and waves it in a half-hearted attempt to sober them up. “This wasn’t here before, huh?”

Green Eyes looks a little dazed, squinting at the writing. “Nope.”

"I can’t believe that ass still had the audacity to write down his number and then add a winking face."

"Yeah, I don’t do well with these sorts of things. Thanks." Green Eyes smiles and Rin wants to melt, totally sure that it’s not because of how stifling hot it is in the bar.

“Well, now that this seat is free.” Rin hops onto the now empty barstool neighboring Green Eyes. “Let’s talk about how your ass constantly needs to be saved, man.” 

“Makoto.” 

“What?”

“My name. Tachibana Makoto. I figured since we’ve run into each other a few times and now have had our tongues down the other’s throat, the very least we should know each other is our names. Besides, at this rate, it looks like we’ll be - what did you say before? - 'going at it on the counter.'” Green - Makoto jokes.

“Makoto, huh? It’s kinda girly, don’t you think?”

Makoto’s laugh tinkles along to the audible shimmer his finger makes as it circles the rim of his glass. “You can’t just say that without telling me your name.”

“Mastuoka Rin.” Rin cheeses and sticks his thumb in his chest.

“And you’re saying Rin isn’t girly.” Makoto jokes.

“It’s something I accepted and embraced a long time ago, but touche.” Rin drums his fingers against the countertop, reaching for his now refilled drink. He totally forgot about it, and he realizes this when there’s more water then there should be when he takes a sip.

Rin sticks his tongue out and puts the glass back on the coaster. He tears off a corner of the small napkin with Blondie’s name. It’s not like Makoto’s planning on calling the guy or anything. 

“You’ve got guts. Where’d you learn to kiss like that?”

“I have experience.” Makoto humbly shrugs. “You?”

“Please. I never kiss and tell.”

“You know, even though we haven’t known each other for that long, I think I can say that you’re probably not the type.”

“I mean, we could go into my sexual hist -”

“That’s more than okay, Rin.”

Rin chuckles before taking another sip, reveling in the way his name sounds coming from Makoto’s mouth. He taps his finger against the glass before asking his next question. “So. The little sister thing. Real?”

Makoto nods, taking out his phone to show Rin a photo of a boy and a girl in their late teens, and while both look as similar as two people of opposite genders can get, the girl is slightly taller, ruffling the boy’s hair in jest.

“They’re cute.” Rin replies with a grin.

“Two younger twin siblings: Ren and Ran. I wasn’t kidding when she said that Ran could talk for hours. I guess I was lucky you have one too that I could play off of. Unless you made that up?”

Rin shakes his head. “Kou. Little shit at times, but I love her.”

“I’m sure she’s lovely. Is she the woman you’re usually with at the booth?”

“You know where I sit?”

“I mean, you’re here almost every time I am, and you guys have a tendency to sit in the same place. Who are the others? Any of them your actual boyfriend?”

“I thought we weren’t getting into my sexual history.” Rin jestly snides before ticking the lot off his fingers. “Well, there’s Seijuurou who, don’t get me wrong, is hot and all, but is a pain in the ass more often than not and also happens to be my brother-in-law.”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive?”

“Of course not!”

“Right.”

Rin shoos that away before continuing, “Nitori and Sosuke are my roommates. Pretty sure Nitori has had some weird obsession with me at some point, but if it’s still there, then I don’t know and I don’t need to know, but he’s a great guy. Sosuke is my best friend, and we had a thing once, maybe twice, maybe a couple of drunken encounters...but he’s dear to me.”

“Even though you had a thing once, maybe twice, maybe a couple of drunken encounters.”

“It happens to the best of us!”

Rin doesn’t realize until he gets back after a couple of hours of conversation and a little bit of drunk karaoke - when Sosuke’s passed out on the couch waiting for Rin and Nitori’s snores can be heard upstairs from even the entrance - that even though Makoto was able to (unwillingly) get Blondie’s number, the one guy he actually talked to, the one guy who Rin hopes considers him a friend at this point (they were pretty fucking ace at drunk karaoke), completely forgot to ask.

Damn it.

~

“Why did we come here again? This is the third time this week.”

“I’d give you three guesses, but that’s two too many.” Seijuurou rolls his eyes in response to Nitori’s question.

“You could’ve gone alone you know, onii-chan. You’ve done it plenty of times before.” Kou agrees as a no-good-sister-betrayer. Jerk.

“What? And miss your guys’ much-loved company? How are you guys not enjoying the stale food and greasy air?” 

“Man, I don’t think you want to hear this, but you know what, I’m sick of coming here. but I need alone time with your sister. You constantly dragging us here at night is really putting a hamper on -”

“NO!” Rin roars to shut his brother-in-law up while said brother-in-law simultaneously yelps when Kou stomps on his foot.

Nitori jumps at the sudden chaos, noting the crowd looking up and staring at the sudden outcries. He frantically waves his hands to the people around them, apologizing that his friends are idiots, and gives them a dirty glare when he faces his friends.

“He’s not going to show up. Again.” Sosuke passively comments with his eyes closed.

“How do you know?” Rin jeers, but he hopes it’s not cruel enough so it stops Sosuke from explaining.

It isn’t. Or maybe Sosuke is used to Rin’s outbursts at this point. “Well, we’ve only been going at a certain time every night. And any time we do go, it’s either on a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. Given your work schedule and how weekends are too busy to even take into consideration, I’m pretty sure those have been the only times you’ve been going alone too, Rin.”

“I hate your logic.” Rin sinks down into his seat, wondering if he can recall the exact times he’s run into Makoto, the hour, the day, but at this point, it’s been so long that he can barely remember.

~

Three weeks later and Rin’s able to drag everyone back to the bar with him once more.

Rin keeps his eye on the door the entire time they’re at the bar. He perks up when Makoto enters and stares at him the entire time.

“You’re so creepy man, just go up and say something.” Seijuurou rolls his eyes.

“Well I need a _reason to_ \- hold on.”

A man enters the bar with two behind him in tow, making a beeline to Makoto and plopping on the barstool next to him, talking to him like he’s known him for years. The pair that’s accompanied him seem to be in their own world, but every so often, turn to the other two and drop in their two cents.

Seijuurou, Kou, Sosuke, and Nitori simultaneously turn their heads and look at Rin, wait for what he has to say, but he waves his hand, unbothered and ready for the challenge. “Duty awaits.”

“Good luck.” Seijuurou mocks, “I don’t think your prince is interested in knights anymore. You’re just going to embarrass yourself.”

Rin responds with an obscene gesture before glaring at the seemingly wonderful scene before him, squinting like his blurred vision will help pick up on any sort of semblance of a negative vibe.

The one talking to Makoto this time is about a head shorter with hair painted by the night, and you know what, he’s not that bad looking, Rin has to admit.

And this time, the interactions are different. While every other instance before had involved a nervous Makoto, reluctant, the Makoto now is grinning, not uncomfortable, but in a way that holds years of coziness and safety, one that Rin’s never seen him wear before. His hand rests in between his glass and the man’s pale hand, and if he moves it just ever so much to the right, Rin is completely sure their skin will touch.

“So! What did I miss while I was gone, babe?”

Makoto’s eyebrows crinkle and Rin’s stomach drops. Well, there goes the whole “fake boyfriend” thing. It was good while it lasted.

“Wha - oh! No,” Makoto laughs, “no, Rin, let me introduce you to my best friend and roommate. This is Haru.”

The way Haru takes in Rin is 75% nerve wrecking, but the other 25% sorta turns him on. 

“Are you done your full body scan and are ready to print an analytical report out of your ass?” Rin quips.

“The guy who’s been stopping others from hitting on Makoto could be a lot worse. It’s nice to meet you.” Haru nods, sticking his hand out.

“Oh, so you’ve been talking about me.” Rin leers, poking Makoto in the arm when he finishes shaking Haru’s hand.

“Someone had to hear about my gaudy knight in shining armor.” Makoto sticks his tongue out, but pouts when Rin jokingly hits his arm in response. 

“I’m not gaudy!” Rin defends himself in his jagged sleeveless shirt with a neon skull on the back.

The three of them talk for a little bit - Haru’s not that bad, Rin has to admit - but their conversation comes to a halt when Rin’s group goes over to meet them. Right. It must’ve looked weird that Rin was actually getting along with the guy who was supposedly hitting on his fake boyfriend-thing.

“Nagisa? Rei?” Kou asks as she approaches the group, completely ignoring Rin. Oh. Or one of them actually knows Makoto’s friends.

“Kou!” The blond is all exclamation marks and smiles as he grabs Rin’s sister into a giant hug. His boyfriend nods behind the duo, but he still lets a small turn of the lips slip when the smaller two pull him into a group hug.

“You know them?” Rin’s shock shows in his tone.

“Yeah, they used to live in my old building before I moved in with Seijuurou! We still meet up from time to time.” Kou smiles, her hand still clasped around Nagisa’s.

Seijuurou squints while Rin asks a question that everyone else seems to be wondering: “And you never told us?”

“I don’t have to tell you _everything_ that I do onii-san.”

Kou formally introduces her friends to Seijuurou, and Rin turns to Haru when he feels a prod in his shoulder, realizing he’s been watching him this entire time. “How many shots can you handle?”

“More than you can, surely.”

“It’s hard to get Haru-chan drunk.” Rin hears Nagisa whisper to Kou behind him.

Rin’s willing to test that theory. “Bring it on.”

~

The toilet is a great muffler, really, because Rin doesn’t realize he has a text until Sosuke pokes his bare back with the device.

_How are you feeling? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Haru with a hangover before, I think you broke him._

So they _did_ manage to exchange numbers at one point. It’s not like Rin remembers though, and he’s surprised he was even able to manage reciting the numbers to Makoto in the state he was in.

In between Sosuke pushing his hair back and Nitori helping him with small sips of water, Rin’s able to type out some sort of coherent answer.

Though it’s meant to be sarcastic, there’s an underlying sense of genuineness when he responds, _Fan fucking tastic_.

~

Makoto has a tendency to start the conversation. They’re little things, wondering if Rin and his friends are planning to go to the bar soon (they do, but him and Makoto don’t have overlapping points anytime soon) or how Rin’s day is going.

Even so, Rin doesn’t expect the ping of his phone to go off as he’s wrapping up work for the day with a message from Makoto.

_At a coffee shop two blocks from Predators. The barista’s trying to hit on me, help._

Rin rolls his eyes and ruffles his hair in a classy tousle. _Dude, what is with you and people constantly hitting on you._

_Hey, can’t help the fact that I’m irresistible, right? Maybe they’re all out to get me so you can constantly have a reason to rescue me though ;)_

The beat that follows feels like forever.

_I’m kidding! But if you do want to hang out, I’m free. Maybe get to see what you really look like outside of the bar._

_Yeah, I bet you aren’t that attractive when not under shitty lighting._

_Maybe your clothes will blind me if I meet you in broad daylight._

Rin snaps back with an obscene emoticon, quick to add that he’ll be there soon. Ten minutes and a brisk walk lands him in front of said coffee shop, the hazy lights of Predators blinking just out of focus.

There’s a reason why Predators is his go-to bar, after all. Proximity definitely helps.

Makoto’s well-seated and halfway done his tea and cake when Rin joins him with his own black coffee and croissant. 

“Huh. So you aren’t that terrible looking in sunlight.”

“And I’m not blind. Looks like we were both wrong.”

Rin mockingly laughs and takes a bite out of his croissant. As the fresh butter melts in his mouth, the loosely folded layers of dough dissolving on his palate, he says, “So how about a spitfire round?”

Makoto stares. “Huh?”

“You know, a Q&A. Let’s be honest here, both of us got too drunk the two times we’ve had a conversation, or at least I have, and most information has been forgotten.”

Makoto smiles. “Good point. Why not?”

And so they begin.

“Career.”

“Pediatrician.”

“Suprise. Me, nothing exciting, but I’m a swim coach on the side.”

“You work with kids too?” Makoto’s voice goes up.

“They can be a pain in the ass -”

“Rin!”

“I didn’t finish! But at that age...that’s when they’re the most passionate about the things they do, so it’s worth helping them achieve as much as they can before that spark goes away.” 

“That’s beautiful.”

“Well, you know me. Definition of beauty in every sense of the word.” Rin reaches across the table to steal a bite of Makoto’s cake, but is met with a slap to the wrist instead.

“An older brother to twins. Please. I started learning to defend my food before they turned three.”

The back-and-forth continues: Makoto doesn’t even have three months on Rin, their favorite colors combined are the most wonderful time of the year, his tangible fears match Rin’s abstract in number.

They sit in silence for a few minutes when they finish, accompanied by only the occasional sip of their drinks or respective bites of their food.

“You know, we could make this a thing.” Makoto finally comments.

Rin scrunches his eyebrows together. “What?”

“Instead of hoping you show up every time, I mean, we could pretend to be boyfriends? At the bar I mean. We can hang out together as friends, but if something comes up, instead of waiting for the other person to help, we’ll already be there.”

“Please, you don’t need to come up with an excuse to lay one on me again.” Rin dramatically flicks his hair with his index finger.

Makoto smiles, but doesn’t respond.

~

So faking being Makoto’s boyfriend isn’t that bad.

No one ever really bothers them, so it’s really just drinks between two friends with the addition of light PDA if need be. Besides, Rin likes the company, since he has always frequented Predators the most from his group, and going off of the fact that Makoto was alone the majority of the time prior, Rin knows it’s the same for him.

Well, except for that one guy who approached them and asked if they were into threesomes. Rin pokes Makoto’s ribs in false consideration, and begins to pursue the idea even more when he sees how red his friend’s face has become.

There are also the pushy ones who approach Makoto - and Rin on occasion - and don’t seem to grasp the concept that they’re perfectly content in their (fake) relationship. That usually lands in Rin on top of Makoto and a pretty decent makeout if he does say so himself.

And it’s not like Rin hates it or anything, after all, he’s just doing Makoto a favor.

Really.

~

As time shifts, so do the dynamics in Rin’s life.

If one were to ask Rin three years ago about the friends in his life, he’d respond that he’s more than happy with the few that he can count on his hand: his younger sister, Sosuke, Nitori, and you know, even Kou’s then-boyfriend was more than okay.

Now, now there are frequent meetups to the bar, Rin and his friend’s old regular booth now compromised so they can have a much larger one to hold nine. 

Rin isn’t complaining though. Haru sparks a passion in Rin that fuels his drive, he sees a lot of himself in the perfectionist Rei, and Nagisa reminds him of Kou in his fiery determination. And of course, he likes Makoto, from his kindness to his complete and total genuineness that only comes with one in a million. Sometimes, Rin thinks about how, in another life, he’d be a part of just their group, ribbing Haru while Makoto ribs him, getting annoyed by Nagisa but amused by his antics just the same.

Everyone else seems to get along great too. Nagisa enjoys teasing Nitori and Kou like he does Rei, and he and Seijuurou bond over their love for lewd innuendos, competing to see who causes the most outcry. Sosuke and Makoto find that they both share a role as “protective best friend,” not only applying it to Rin and Haru respectively but beyond, and Rei and Nitori act as if they’re the most responsible ones in the group, even if everyone else can call them out on the blatant lie.

“Rin-san!”

“Huh?”

“You need to drink.” Rei taps the side of Rin’s glass.

“What?

“Please onii-san, you’re acting as if you’ve never owned a neon article of clothing before. Can we bring up the jacket you wore last week?” 

“It looked awesome on me! Ugh, fine.” Rin gulps down a few more sips, shaking as he can feel it mix with the two whole glasses he had prior as it enters his system. He needs to be careful, or he’s going to be the first to lose. He tightens his other hand in Makoto’s as they mirror Kou and Seijuurou’s hold, the alcohol heightening each curl of their fingers, Makoto’s thumb brushing Rin’s knuckle. 

“It’s my turn then, right? Fine. Never have I ever…”

~

Rin slightly pokes his tongue out in concentration as he uses the end of his middle fingers to part his hair to frame his face at the right angle. It’s two months later and it’s colder outside, reflected indoors by Rin’s sweatshirt and Makoto’s layered sweaters.

“Rin, your hair looks fine. C’mon, everyone’s waiting for us outside.”

Rin glares up at Makoto via his grimy reflection in the bathroom mirror and sticks his tongue out even more. “Not everyone has perfect sandswept hair like you. And besides, no one’s going to miss us, since that place is so packed. And if this means making sure Kou doesn’t need to sit on Sei’s lap due to a lack of space, so be it.”

They recognize the voice before the door even opens - a growl, haughty and proud - exchanging stares and standing completely still.

Rin is the first to act, grabbing Makoto through a fistful of cloth and yanking him into one of the stalls.

Blondie’s footsteps pause in front of the stall, and through the thin crack between closed door and divider, Rin can just barely make out his sneer, recognizing the two.

Rin pulls Makoto forward (it doesn’t take much - they’re cramped as fuck anyway) so their chests collide and Rin’s back hits the partition. Makoto’s tall stature, just inches over him, blocks out nearly all the little light the ceiling lamp gives the dingy stall.

“Kiss me.”

Makoto’s eyebrows pinch together as he looks back at Blondie’s continuous stare. God, who knew he was in that much disbelief about them. “Are you sure?”

“Look, we have to make this believable, okay?”

Makoto slowly nods, and if there’s any hesitation, it fleets when he pulls Rin towards him anyway.

Like their first proper kiss, their movements quickly heat up, and before Rin can even process it, their mouths aren’t even trying to pass for kissing, instead, lips barely skimming over on top of each other as they find new places to explore. 

“ _Fuck_.” Rin whispers against Makoto’s jaw, tilting his head back and to the right, giving Makoto more room to roam. 

“You said to make it believable, right?” Makoto murmurs into Rin’s neck. 

“Oh my god, shut up and keep going.”

They grind into each other, and Rin jumps when Makoto sneaks his hands underneath his sweatshirt and pushes down, fingers creeping into the sides of Rin’s pants and sliding lower.

They can hear a sound of disgust, followed by the main door swinging shut.

Rin and Makoto mirror a shrug and continue.

“How skinny _are_ these pants?” Makoto’s forehead hits Rin’s shoulder and he lets out a frustrated breath when he tries to move his hands to the front.

Rin wants to come up with a good - probably sarcastic - excuse, but Makoto’s mouth back on his sucks any words right out. That, and the fact that any words that he’d try to come up with would probably make little to no sense since _oh my god > Makoto's mouth._

They decide to fuck it in terms of undressing, instead, all hands under clothes and the press of their lower bodies into each other, fooling around like teenagers with only their right hands for experience.

It’s great, it’s hot, but they instantly regret it when they come.

“Oh that is so gross.” Rin comments in heavy breaths while Makoto hands him a mummified hand in toilet paper.

Several minutes later, when they’ve done their best to clean up, Rin says, “Well, I think we did a good job convincing him, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.” Makoto runs his hand through disheveled hair. “Convincing.”

Makoto tells the group when he and Rin return that they took so long in the bathroom because Rin cared more about his hair more than the average human being should.

To give credit where it’s due, that’s not completely false.

~

Rin would never deny his physical attraction to Makoto, in fact, he’s expressed it to said subject’s face more than a handful of times. It wasn’t the initial and main reason he went to help him the first time he saved him from the Creep, he doesn’t mind playing hero at all, but to deny that it was a role would be a lie. His physical attraction’s only heightened with their stint in the bathroom, the remnants of Makoto’s touch over Rin’s cheek, his sides, his chest floating like ghosts. Rin can trace paths of how Makoto’s lips chased like a desperate traveler on his neck and jaw, finding a base, a safety on Rin’s own lips and swallowed him to fulfill any basic needs he didn’t meet on his journey. Makoto’s body over his may have initially felt suffocating, but it didn’t matter, because it made Rin want to seek him for the air he so desperately sought in those few seconds, hold him and breathe him in.

However.

However, Rin’s stomach first coils and his mouth falls mercy to an invisible puppeteer as the smile naturally pulls on his face when he hears Makoto’s laugh when Nagisa and Nitori argue. It occurs again when Kou reddens when she slips something embarrassing and Makoto’s the first to comfort her. His reactions repeat the more he sees Makoto, eventually exponentially increasing in number at the mere _thought_ of him, not just when he recalls their stint in the bathroom, but every shared glance, every windchime-laugh that falls from Makoto’s mouth.

These senses, these feelings are recalled on restless nights and rare secluded times alone in the house, when Rin needs to sneak his hand under his pants, uses Makoto’s name as a trigger to give the ghosts some sort of tangibility. He creates his own stories, scenarios where they’re completely alone, sequestered and their words bounce off of ruffled sheets that barely shroud their naked bodies and petals like satin shoved mercilessly on the ground, secret phrases returning to only the ears that are sought as the sole recipient. 

It’s one particular time that he finishes head falling back on his pillow and sweat serving as an adhesive between hair and skin. Rin rests his forearm over his tired, tired eyes while his breathing returns to normal, and in the darkness, he bites his lip and realizes with a frustrated groan.

Shit.

He’s falling hard.

~

It’s just the two of them again. Rin messaged Makoto, letting him know that he was in the area shopping and did he want to meet up for some Saturday night drinks.

Rin would get up, but the girl seems to do well on her own. She smacks the largest one across his face and stomps on his buddy’s foot before leaving the bar.

“I don’t like those guys.” Rin continues to stare at the trio before them.

“Hm?” 

“That’s the fourth girl they’ve harassed, and I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be their last. And look at them, they’ve been making fun of anyone who passes them all night. Bag of dicks.”

“I’m gonna run to the restroom.” Makoto nods but gets up, pausing mid-rise to sternly look at Rin. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Okay nii-san.” Rin rolls his eyes and slouches while Makoto walks away. He keeps this position for a few seconds, nose scrunched and lips pouting at the group, but when a double-take tells him that Makoto’s gone, he pushes up and makes his way to the front to get another drink.

“Well, aren’t you pretty?” The middle one jeers, curling his fingers under Rin’s collar and hauling the redhead closer after Rin gives his order. From their proximity to each other, Rin can make out every way the man’s gnarled nose moves when he continues, “Face like yours doesn’t deserve to be all by himself.”

Rin responds by shoving the man back, stomping on his foot, and squinting when said man yelps. He keeps his cold stare on the lot before downing his drink in one go and turning to the entrance, hoping that their dimly-lit minds can at least grasp that message.

It takes a few seconds longer than he was expecting, but honestly, given their combined IQ, Rin should have been expecting even longer for them to arrive.

“So.” Crooked Nose walks down the alley bordering the bar. “Wanted some privacy, huh?”

Because Rin is fantastic at thinking before acting, he clonks him right in the middle of his nose, sending his head back so it hits the concrete wall behind him.

He turns to get to the other ones, but Crooked Nose’s recovery time is pretty fantastic, and he grabs Rin from the back, seizing his arms and dragging him until Crooked Nose’s back hits the wall and Rin’s back hits his chest.

The tallest walks forward, all teeth and little pity. “I want to say that this could’ve gone better, but really, was there any other way that this could’ve gone?”

Rin’s dazed when a multi-ring clad fist squares him in the forehead, but he bounces back as soon as he can, kneeing Buckteeth in the balls, turning his head to threaten the same to Crooked Nose. It’s a good thing this one has more sense and lets go right away.

When the idiot lets go, Rin jabs him square in the chest as hard as he can with his elbow, satisfied with the sharp wheezy inhale from his opponent.

Rin thinks he’s pretty good at handling the fight as they continue their brawl. He picks up a few bruises, cuts, some deeper than others but numbed by his adrenaline and lack of sobriety, but he’s still able to knock down all three at one point, matching each of the injuries he gets with two more on each of them.

This doesn’t last long though, and fighting alone was clearly not the best idea, and before he knows it, Rin’s face down in the ground, head burying into the gravel under Giant’s foot, and he can smell the blood as it leaves his cheeks and mixes into the dirt.

“What’s going on?” Even with only one ear exposed, the other currently digging into the pavement, Rin can easily make out Makoto’s voice from above.

“Your boyfriend needs to be taught a lesson.” Shortie replies.

“Look, I’m sure we can talk about this, clearly it all must be a misunderstanding.” Oh no, Makoto’s a diplomat even in violence, when it’s much less innocent than a scuffle between Rin and Haru.

Shortie takes his long nails and scratches down Makoto’s arm, drawing three long lines of blood and kicks him, a man near twice his size, into the wall.

Makoto only looks back in bewilderment.

Rin, however, growls and gets up, tackling Shortie into a pile of garbage bags that groan underneath their weight.

It’s when Rin gets pinned down _again_ , Buckteeth being twice his size makes it rather easy for him to lift Rin up and throw him to the ground in a sooner-than-wanted-reunion.

“I swear to god, you need to learn to shut up.”

Rin winces and turns his head in a last resort, but the blow never comes. Instead, he hears another thud, one that’s fist against cheekbone, but he feels no pain.

The streetlights highlight Makoto’s actions, bask him in a wash of dirty gold as he comes into focus and steps over Buckteeth’s shaking body.

“You know, you can’t fight when you’re just lying there.” Makoto kneels down and pulls Rin up. “And three against one? Really?”

“Yeah, haven’t heard that before. I think I was doing fine on my own, actually.” Rin sarcastically comments as he kicks Crooked Nose in the stomach when he tries to get Makoto from the side.

“Yeah, I’m sure you love being on your back.” Makoto says.

“Wouldn’t you love to find out.”

“Yeah, but I think I’d prefer some privacy.” Makoto shrugs before running behind Rin. The redhead looks back in confusion, but watches in appreciation when Shortie is tackled to the ground. 

Makoto straddles him, fist clenched and a frozen glower, all stern lines and hardened eyes that’d turn the bravest into stone. The dim streetlights dozens of feet back make him look sinister and the contours of his face sharper.

Rin, along with Crooked Nose and Buckteeth, freeze at the change in demeanor, and everything falls to silence.

“Don’t you _dare_ think about fighting dirty like that.” Makoto’s wrist tightens around Shortie’s wrist, where the jagged ends of a broken beer bottle menacingly glitter when the light hits.

Oh.

Rin clutches his side on instinct.

Makoto tightens his hold even more, forces Shortie to drop the weapon, then helps him up.

“Oh, don’t think that one little intimidating action will end all of this.” Buckteeth makes a move before Rin hits him square in the nose. Maybe the new pattern will match his friend’s.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Together, Rin and Makoto able to take down all three with no problem. It takes a few minutes, a mixture of skin colliding with bone and various metals receiving yelps of pain in response, but in no time, their three opponents call mercy and run away.

“And don’t come back, asshats!” Rin shouts to their receding figures.

Makoto walks towards Rin and without warning, begins to card his fingers through matted red hair. Rin stares at him quizzically, but immediately gets it when he sees bits of dirt and gravel fall and return to their rightful place on the ground.

“You’re bleeding.” Makoto points out, moving his hand down to cup Rin’s face, his thumb revealing blood when he pulls it away from Rin’s cheekbone. 

“Yeah, no shit.” Rin leans back, because like hell does he need to be taken care of. He presses his bottom lip against the back of his hand, resisting the urge to pull the former into his mouth and hissing the pain away, because god knows his teeth would make the wound worse. He’s able to muffle out, “Let’s just go to the bathroom and get cleaned up.”

“Here.” Makoto presses a napkin to Rin’s mouth, letting the redhead take over in holding it when he continues, “Let’s just go to my place. You’re pretty badly hurt, and it’s just a two minute walk.”

~

The creak of the front door is followed by all the light from the hallway sucking into the darkness that is Makoto and Haru’s apartment. Rin allows his eyes to adjust to the low moonlight that creeps into the living room from the drawn curtains, just in enough time for him to see Makoto hold a finger to his lips and whisper, “Shhhh.”

Once the light rises when they enter his room, so does Makoto’s voice. “Wait right here.” 

Makoto walks towards Rin with a pair of black sweatpants and a forest green tank. “They’re clean, I promise.” He tells Rin, as if Makoto would dare give his guest dirty clothes. 

“If you give me your clothes, I can dump them in the washer. I figured you wouldn’t want to walk back in blood-stained and dirtied wear, and you can change in them when you leave.”

“Why would you assume that? I think I can pull off the beat-up punk look pretty fucking well.” Rin replies as he begins to unbutton his pants.

“Wait! What are you doing?”

Rin dramatically claps a hand over his heart. “I’m offended! Pretending to be boyfriends and the thought of my naked body freaking you out.”

“Ha ha.” Makoto’s blush is a nice contrast to his eyes, but it’s amusing all the same, and Rin can’t help but feel guilty that he walks right to the bathroom afterwards.

The hot water that hits his still-healing skin is like a the relief a starving man gets upon stumbling on a feast fit for his king. Rin lets his forehead fall and hit the tiles that quickly collect condensation, his sighs of bliss and comfort harmonizing with the drops that hit the ground and the hiss of the steam that curls around his body. Through the steam and his sobering dazed vision, he watches the dirt and blood stain the water on the beveled ceramic floor before the drain swallows them.

When he’s finished relaxing and ready to properly (and carefully, so carefully) clean, Rin gently moves so he can take in the array of toiletries before him. 

Unlike Rin, whose corner of his shared bathroom with Sosuke is organized by function and color due to the sheer number of his things and his need for coordination, Makoto’s own are few and scattered. Rin picks up the thing closest to him - an open shampoo bottle - and lifts it to his nose, deciding that the faint smell of artificial limes is to his liking and squeezes out the minimal amount he needs. The body wash is generic, allegedly supposed to smell like rainwater but smells more like “clean,” but it does its job, despite the occasional sting when it crosses a cut or tear in the skin.

Makoto is already sitting on the edge of his bed with a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose (oh no) when Rin walks out of the bathroom. Rin yanks the drawstring of his pants so they don’t reveal more than his hipbone as they involuntarily fall, succumbing to the fact he’s not so much wearing the tank, but drowning in it.

He curtly tells Makoto despite sitting in the spot next to his friend where he pats down on the bed. “I’m fine.”

“I think the injuries beg to differ. Now c’mon, shirt off.”

“How about you do it for me?” Rin cheeks.

Makoto blushes again, but it doesn’t stop him from lightly smacking Rin on his thigh, where he knows there are no damages lying underneath the cloth. “C’mon.” 

He continues when his tank is off of Rin and in a crumpled mass of cloth on the bed. “The expertise in medical care helps, but between Rei, Haru, and the twins, I think I’ve become more than competent in first-aid.” 

“Don’t tell me, Rei, Haru, and your teenage siblings get into bar fights all the time.”

“That was exactly what I was implying. Ran broke a guy’s arm last time, it was pretty impressive.” Makoto jokes as he brushes Rin’s bangs to the side. Rin tries his best to keep his breath steady at the action, letting his shoulders naturally fall in ease when Makoto presses a cloth-covered bag of ice to his eye. He obeys Makoto when he tells him to “Hold,” using his free eye to watch Makoto return to the kit before him.

Makoto wasn’t lying when he said he was competent in first-aid. His hands glide like calm tides against the scrapes and bumps that decorate Rin’s upper half of his body. His thumbs just brush his forehead when he places a butterfly bandage over a cut, the pads of his fingers gently digging into his palm while the other hand weaves gauze around his knuckles. It’s enough for Rin to want to fall further, have his whole body held like this, instead of the various pieces of him.

Then again, so much of him is injured, bruised and tattered, that it’s enough to make up the whole, enough for him to sink into Makoto’s touch and shroud him in safety and soothing.

This doesn’t distract him from the injuries on Makoto however - though less in number and definitely fewer than the ones he had caused, it still bothers Rin. 

Makoto jolts when Rin takes the arm that isn’t holding the ice pack and presses his fingers to Makoto’s bruised cheek. From the way Makoto startles, Rin’s touch isn’t anywhere near as tender, but it doesn’t stop him from brushing the pad of his thumb over the bone that curves under Makoto’s eye. “What about you?”

“I’m okay, don’t worry about me.” Makoto pulls Rin’s arm back to the bed, turning back to his chest without a second’s hesitation.

“Are you seri-”

“I don’t think it’s right that I caused all that pain on others, and I should carry the weight for that that I shouldn’t have caused.”

“You’re an idiot, you know that right?”

“For some reason, I don’t think you believe that, Rin.” Makoto smiles, but the hard look in his eyes and his tight tone ends the conversation.

Rin holds back a sharp cry when Makoto places his palms over his bare chest. “Do the bruises still hurt?”

“Ah,” Rin hisses, “a little.”

“Here.” Makoto runs to the kitchen and returns several moments later, a new bag of ice in hand. With each press of ice on bruise, just a few seconds max, there’s a sigh of relief that escapes Rin’s lips. It feels nice. Being taken care by Makoto is really nice.

Like a bookend, Makoto finishes by running his fingers through Rin’s now dry hair from root to tip, curling the ends lightly around his fingers. Rin knows that the actions are intended for one last run-through of scattered debris, but can’t help but wonder if the few extra seconds of twirling have any real benefit, or if it’s for Makoto’s own pleasure.

Makoto finishes by moving his fingers down Rin’s jaw, lightly tracing the bone, and places a hand on his shoulder, simply saying, “You’re set,” before getting up and grabbing his own change in pajamas. 

Rin hums in thanks and pulls out his phone. “Shit.” He says when he notices the time. “It’s almost two in the morning.”

“Why don’t you stay over?” Makoto’s voice calls from the bathroom among the rustle of his clothes as he takes them off and the drone of the jet of water spitting out of the showerhead.

“You sure?”

“No, that was a ploy. Get out and walk the half hour it takes it get back to your place. Sosuke would love that you wandered half-drunk in the middle of the night.” Makoto pokes the front half of his naked body out the bathroom door and sticks his tongue out. Even from the glimpse that he sees before the door shuts once more, Rin needs a few extra moments to remember that swallowing helps prevent suffocation and proceeds to avoid a premature death.

Rin needs a distraction, so he’s thankful Makoto mentioned his best friend, because he uses that as an opportunity to go, “Oh, that reminds me! I should tell my housemates.” He shoots Nitori and Sosuke a message to tell them that he’s fine and he’s just spending the night at Makoto’s while said subject showers.

Rin busies himself with his phone until Makoto comes out. He can’t help but gape at the fact that Makoto is still half shirtless, pulling down the rest of shirt through his right sleeve before it covers the rest of his torso.

Makoto doesn’t realize this, walks over to his closet, pulling out spare linens and nudges Rin off the bed, starting to change the sheets.

“I usually just sleep on the futon when guests come over…”

“Dude, what the hell, this is your place. I’ll take the futon.”

Rin doesn’t last three minutes arguing, and in no time, he’s sitting on a fresh pair of taupe cotton sheets that feel ten times more soft than they probably due given the events of the past few hours.

“Hey.”

Makoto perks up from fluffing his pillow, sitting up and looking at Rin in a wordless response.

“Thanks, you know, for...everything tonight.”

“What are friends for? Besides, it’s the least I can do for your saving me countless times from unwanted conversation. Might as well finally return the favor.”

“Please, given how much you saved my ass just now, the next time someone hits on you, I should tell them we’re married, explain about our two kids in excruciatingly embarrassing detail, then actually do it with you on the floor right then and there.”

Makoto smirks, nodding, and continues to look at Rin. With nothing more to it, he continues to watch, lips slightly parted and body leaning slightly forward. He moves, as if he wants to go up and over to Rin, grazes his bottom lip into his teeth as if he wants to say something but chooses to bite back the words before they release, stares at Rin with wonder and fear.

Rin swallows and breaks the silence first. “I’ll see you in the morning then?”

Makoto closes his eyes and his head tilts forward. “Hm. Goodnight Rin.”

~

Rin’s internal clock wakes him up at a quarter to seven. When he looks over at the still mass of tan limbs and muscles that is Makoto, Rin concludes that his internal clock is set for much later, so he quietly gets up. After a quick refresh in the bathroom, he makes his way over to the kitchen, cringing when the door shuts a little too loudly for his liking behind him. He hopes Makoto doesn’t mind if he messes around with the food and equipment, in fact, he should consider himself lucky for the amazing “thank you for your hospitality and care” breakfast he’s about to make.

Haru drives that plan into the ground and stomps on it however, kneeling over the island, a towel over his neck and his loose shirt wet where it clings to his still-drying body. He puts his glass of water down when he hears the creak of Makoto’s door opening, eyebrow raised in surprise that noise from that side of the apartment would occur this early. It quickly transitions to a raise in judgment though when he takes in tousled-haired-Makoto-clothes-wearing-Rin however.

“I slept on the bed.” Rin dully explains.

“You slept on the bed?” The eyebrow reaches higher.

“I tried to say no, but your best friend is a stubborn shit, let me tell you. He slept on the futon, nothing happened.” Rin opens the cabinets like he owns the place, but that facade deteriorates in no time since it takes him five tries to actually find where the glasses call home. 

Haru does nothing more than squint to indicate the change in topic. “You’re wincing every time you move.”

“Your sense of awareness is outstanding. Yeah, I got into a bar fight last night.” Rin cocks his head and casually runs his hand through his hair. “Kicked some ass, defended some honor. You know, the usual.”

Haru’s missing out on how awesome Rin is, because he obviously does not care nor hasn’t been listening. “Was Makoto involved?”

“Uh, yeah, but…”

“Is he okay?” Haru finally makes a sign of getting up, probably to sprint to Makoto’s room, but Rin reaches over the counter to grab his wrist before he can do anything. 

Keeping his grip tight and firm, Rin tells him, “Let him sleep. He’s fine. Let me tell you, once he lets his guard down, he gets really fucking scary.”

Rin can feel Haru relax under his brace, and takes that as the signal that he can let go. 

“Rin?” Said subject’s body doesn’t know how to react when Makoto enters the kitchen, pouting like a child and contradicts his size, rubbing his eye under his glasses.

“Yeah,” _Fuck_ that squeak was embarrassing, “yeah, did we wake you?”

Haru doesn’t take more than four long strides before he pauses in front of Makoto, wide-eyed and hands clasping on either side of his friend’s face. “You’re hurt.”

Rin watches with interest as Makoto’s closed-lipped smile widens, cheeks stretching to fit Haru’s hold before he grabs the shorter man’s wrists, gently guiding them down. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

The two continue to stare for moments on end and Rin watches in complete incredulity before Haru sighs and relaxes. “Okay.”

Two hours and a satisfying breakfast later has Rin returning home, the pajama pants returned and his shirt in a cloth bag. He’s changed back into his clean jeans, but he’s found that’s he’s rather fond of how Makoto’s tank fits on him, how the fabric’s blend loosely holds onto his body and how it complements the color of his brown coat.

Sosuke looks up when Rin walks through the door, but keeps his place on the couch, expression still. “What happened to you?”

“Bar fight.” Rin finishes his message to Makoto that he got back okay and tucks his phone into his jeans.

His best friend only responds with a nod, adding, “I dig the whole ‘punk-ass-beat-up’ rebel thing going on. Suits you.”

“Right?” 

Rin catches the corner Sosuke’s mouth turning up before he turns to grab a soda from the fridge. He puts on his best Threatening Voice to deter him from talking, “Don’t -”

“I know that’s Makoto-san’s shirt by the way.”

The whimper Sosuke makes when Rin chucks a dishcloth at him is more than satisfying.

~

This doesn’t stop Sosuke from pressing the subject however.

“I’m telling you this as your best friend: you guys are being idiots.”

“Harsh words, asshole.” Rin bonks Sosuke on the head with his soda can.

“Sure, like that’ll hurt you of all people. I have a handkerchief if you need it though.”

They sit in silence and watch the town lights shimmer under the night sky. From their place on top of the hill, on the room of Sosuke’s car, they can share words that only they’ll know, fading into the wind before they reach another human’s ears.

“You like him though.”

“I...yeah. It’s obvious, isn’t it.”

“Obvious to everyone but Makoto-san.”

~

Kou ribs him next.

“Onii-san.”

Rin looks up from his half-eaten meal and looks up at his sister. Her gloves are carefully folded, sitting just at the edge of the table so they don’t get stained by the curry she’s busy eating. Her stare towards him is direct, focused, but that doesn’t stop Rin from looking at the last remains of tear-stained cheeks, the kind that re-emerge every year for the past twenty on the same day. 

“Can I ask you a question? I know it’s a bit inappropriate since we were just at the cemetery, but...I’ve been noticing something and…”

“Kou.” Rin leans forward and curls his hand around his sister’s wrist. “You’re the most important person to me in the world. You can ask me anything.”

“Why haven’t you done anything about Makoto-san yet? I’ve never seen you connect to someone so quickly, and,” Kou takes a deep breath and looks him right in the eye. “I know you’ve been attracted to him since the beginning, and he really is great, so what’s stopping you from moving forward?” 

“Oh.” Rin moves back. 

What _has_ stopped him?

He curls his fingers around the napkin in his lap, tries to dissolve it to sweat-stained bits even though its spun from cloth.

“Onii-san?”

Rin looks up but tries to avoid Kou’s gaze. She keeps her hold, tightens her fingers in Rin’s, refuses to move until they lock eyes again.

“You should tell him.”

~

The phone rests heavy in his pocket, weighed down by drafts and rewrites of messages that he never plans to send. They’re the failed products of failed plans, each getting more ridiculous than the next.

Write a song, buy a bouquet. Invite him out to a movie and kiss him when it gets dark. Form his name with petals outside his building and wear a stereo over his own shoulders. Blurt his confession then immediately run in the opposite direction. Message him his confession and then proceed to disconnect his phone and live in the wild. 

Rin sighs and massages his fingers through his hair. Predators just finished their Happy Hour and those, the many, seeking a cheap drink are gone, and the intermediate between that and the night crowd has just begun. 

The dull sound of electric guitars and heavy basses over the loudspeaker fade when the door opens and a familiar figure approaches Rin, catching him completely by surprise.

“Hi.” Makoto’s smile, like always, holds the world and everything beautiful within it. But now, in this particular moment, Rin’s sure that there’s more, universes fashioned that have yet to be explored, ones that hold sounds that haven’t been heard and sights that haven’t been seen.

Rin wants to explore, and when it comes to discovering uncharted territory, one must be prepared for high risk.

“Hi.” He nods.

Rin closes his eyes, takes a breath, and wishes for the best for the words that follow. 

He has a daring soul, after all.

_[end]_

~~~

_[coda]_

“Found them.”

Rin shuffles, pulling the blanket farther over his head to block out the unwanted voice.

“Hey, asshole, wake up.” This voice is louder, merciless, revealing its owner when he harshly yanks back the comforter and blinds Rin with scorching sunlight.

“You know, maybe we should let them stay like this. It’s cute.”

Rin opens an eye to barely make out Haru and Sosuke’s figures through his sleepy, blurry vision.

Behind Haru, Sosuke scoffs. “Nope, fucker had me worried all night and wasn’t answering my calls. Should have figured it was because he was too busy fucking all night.”

“We were talking.” Rin half-grumbles into his pillow.

“Naked?” 

“So does this mean you guys are actually together now?” Haru adds, his usual stony face going nonplussed as he tips the condom box on the nightstand over and watches as nothing fall out.

The bed trembles next to Rin, the aftershocks of Makoto’s chuckling. Rin buries his head even further into his pillow, because the last thing he needs right now is the breathy, half-awake laughter of Makoto, _his_ Makoto, that washes with the dusty golden light of dawn.

“Why aren’t you giving Makoto shit?”

“Because you’re an easier target. Now up.” Sosuke slaps Rin on the ass, crouching down and meeting him at eye-level before Rin can retort, or possibly murder.

“You have a _lot_ to explain to me and Haru-san over breakfast.” Sosuke smiles, looking up as Makoto crawls up over Rin’s back and places his chin on his shoulder.


End file.
